The White Wedding Dress: 200 Years of Wedding Fashions Exhibition

The Bendigo Art Gallery is currently hosting an exclusive exhibition entitled The White Wedding Dress: 200 Years of Wedding Fashions, curated from London's Victoria and Albert Museum bridal gown collection. This exhibition, which opened on August 1st and will run until November 6th, 2011 brings together bridal gowns created by a diverse range of internationally celebrated fashion designers, including Vera Wang, Norman Hartnell, Christian Dior, Zandra Rhodes, Lanvin and Lacroix.

This is a timely exhibition given this year's Royal Wedding fever and in particular the star of the show (besides Pippa Middleton) - the now instantly recognisable bridal gown worn by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge designed by English designer Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. And while the much replicated bridal gown worn by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is not on display at the Bendigo Art Gallery (it is currently on display at Buckingham Palace as part of The Royal Wedding Dress exhibition), there are other modern 'celebrity' bridal gowns on display, including Dita Von Teese's ballroom bridal gown - a unique violet Vivienne Westwood creation and Gwen Stefani's classic yet one of a kind bridal gown - a pink and white silk faille wedding dress designed by John Galliano for Dior.

You can admire over forty beautiful bridal gowns at the exhibition, some dating as far back as the 1800s. Each gown was worn by a unique woman and tells a different story. There is also a range of mens' wedding wear on display. The exhibition is perfect for anyone with an interest in fashion and design and accompanying the exhibition is a program of special events;

Gowns in Focus is a special public lecture which is a free event with the purchase of an exhibition ticket. It will occur on

Thursday the 18th August, Thursday the 1st, 15th and 29th of September and Thursday the 13th and 27th of October, 2011 from 11:30am.

An Introduction to Fashion Illustration is a special workshop with fashion illustrator Angie Réhe. This event will be held from 10am to 1pm on Saturday the 27th of August, 2011 and tickets are priced at $35.

A Wonderful Wedding Feast is an arts and crafts workshop for children aged 4 to 12 years. Children will create a range of table decorations, and will have the chance to decorate the all important wedding cake. This event will be held from 11am to 12.30pm on Sunday the 18th of September, 2011 and admission to this special event is priced at $10 per family.

Wedding Cakes: A Slice of History is a public lecture held by food historian Dr Adele Wessell of Southern Cross University. This event will be held from 2pm on Saturday the 8th October, 2011 and tickets are priced at $15.

These are just some of the highlights of The White Wedding Dress: 200 Years of Wedding Fashions exhibition program - to view all the upcoming lectures and workshops, please click here.

An adult ticket for The White Wedding Dress: 200 Years of Wedding Fashions exhibition is priced at $20 and a concession ticket is priced at $16. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (3 5434 6100) or purchased in person.

For more information on this exciting exhibition, please see the Bendigo Art Gallery website and The White Wedding Dress: 200 Years of Wedding FashionsFacebook Profile.

I'm a bit of a wedding enthusiast, so I can't wait to head to this event. It finishes just after my birthday, so we're doing a bit of a road trip to Bendigo to go see it as part of my birthday present. It looks like such an interesting exhibition anyway, even for people who aren't quite so wedding obsessed as me.

I think it will be interesting to see how wedding dresses have changed over time, especially ones from many many years ago. But it will also be great to just see so many stunning gowns all in one place. A must for both wedding and fashion lovers. I wonder if the event has been swarmed by brides looking for inspiration for their gown.